Chile - just better organized

Chile and Argentina have been bitter rivals in modern history. After being very close to war at the end of the 1970’s, the two nations finally made peace under the watchful eye of the Pope. Still, rivalry persists.

Now I want to add a bit of fuel to the bright burning fire between the two nations. Our trip in Chile will be much shorter than our trip in Argentina, so please take our comparisons with a grain of salt.

I’ll have three categories for you:

1 – Landscapes

2 – People

3 – Organization

1 - While we did not see much of Chile, what we saw around San Pedro de Atacama is very reminiscent of what we saw in Northern Argentina. The dry landscape, the Altiplano, the colorful mountains all mark the landscape of both countries at this latitude. Of course Chile has the driest desert in the world – and the most amazing night sky to boot – but then Argentina has the fabulous Perito Moreno Glacier and the lush rainforests around Iguazu Falls for which there is no equivalent in Chile. Argentina has more diverse landscapes than Chile. Argentina wins this one.

2 – This category is a bit harder to evaluate because again, we did not spend enough time in Chile to be able to compare properly. However, for the sake of comparing apples with apples, I’ll take two very touristy towns, San Pedro de Atacama in Chile and El Calafate in Argentina to decide a winner. Ania and I found out that it was fairly easy to talk to the locals in El Calafate. Most Argentineans were very friendly. In San Pedro de Atacama, the locals seem a bit more reserved and harder to approach. All of them are polite but being a tourist doesn’t give us that little extra smile that greeted us in El Calafate. Argentina wins this category as well.

3 – If the locals in Chile are a bit less welcoming than Argentineans, they do have a much, much better sense of organization. As I discussed previously Argentina looks like a rich nation with the level of organization sometimes apparent to developing nations: credit cards not accepted or imposed heavy surcharges, electronic gadgets outrageously priced or impossible to find, ubiquitous black market, financial instability, etc.

In San Pedro de Atacama the contrast was immediate. It started with the local vegetable grower that produced a receipt on every transaction. It was also our hostel owner that insisted on distributing receipts because “the police often make surprise visits and the fines are heavy if you are not registered”. It is also Chile’s attitude towards businesses. The hostel owner is originally from France. She moved to Chile a few years ago to open her own hostel. When I asked her about the difficulty of opening a business in Chile, she replied that it was easiest thing in the world, with formalities kept to a minimum. Then I asked her if she had ever considered opening a business in Argentina. She replied an emphatic “no”. Why? “Because in Chile you don’t need to know anybody to open a business. In Argentina, you need contacts and you need to be ready to befriend the bureaucrat who is in charge of giving you a license. Plus there is the risk that the government may have a change of mind and shut down your business on grounds you will likely ignore”. There you go, a business owner has spoken. Chile easily wins this category.

Please take this comparison with a grain of salt. You’ll want to visit both countries in South America. Both will leave you with unforgettable memories. Your memories of Chile will be better organized, that’s all.